Following a hearing this morning District Judge Michael Pochron forwarded homicide by vehicle and related charges against James Jose Ramirez to Lehigh County Court.

The 21-year-old Ramirez is free on $50,000 unsecured bail. He'll face trial unless a plea deal is entered or an alternative disposition occurs.

In the early morning of April 28, 2013, Ramirez was driving north on South Fourth Street near Chapel Avenue when his vehicle struck a vehicle driven by Genia Lowry, prosecutors said.

Ramirez lost control of his vehicle, drove off the road and hit a utility pole, prosecutors said.

Seventeen-year-old Juan Oquendo-Mota was thrown from the back seat of the vehicle and struck a street sign and died, prosecutors said. Ramirez's front-seat passenger, Randy Robertson, struck the windshield and suffered head and facial injuries, the release says.

Ramirez was 20 at the time of the crash and his blood-alcohol level was 0.03, officials said. Penalties for underage drivers charged with drunken driving begin at 0.02 percent.

Ramirez, of the 1200 block of Hanover Avenue, is charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault by vehicle, driving under the influence and four counts of reckless endangerment, as well as summary traffic violations.